Letters: Setting a bad example

This refers to the editorial "Copying nation" (March 22). A single examination decides the future of the students, true. And, it is taxing, true. But there are people who sail through successfully and those that fail. Importantly, the latter does so graciously without asking their parents to bring 'notes' to the exam hall so they could try their luck.

The actual problem in the Bihar episode, therefore, is not the 'single exam' as mentioned in the editorial but the attitude of entitlement that these parents display while 'helping' their wards with notes during exams.

Failure and disappointment are part of life. One just needs to learn to tolerate disappointment without getting upset. People need to grow up knowing this basic fact. And they need to raise their kids advising them not to be obsessed with success. In contrast, see what sort of an example these 'grown-ups' are setting for their kids.

There is a system in India and yes, it needs to be fixed. We need to make the process of intellectual assessment more broad-based, and places such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh badly need private enterprises to help people with jobs and income. That doesn't mean people can manage it to their advantage till it is fixed. That's like saying thieves burgle because they are poor.

Poverty, lack of social mobility, lack of 'objective standards' and so on are all jargons.

Raghu Seshadri Chennai

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